I build my own elevated blinds. I'm down in zone 7a so heat is more of an issue than cold. Here is an example:
Back to your situation. One year I was working on one in the summer and something came up and I did not complete it by fall. I only had the platform built. So, that year, I simply put a popup blind on the platform. I'm a fairly big guy and I've always found popup blinds a but more restrictive. Also, you don't get the advantage of having a nice shelf to steady a rifle for longer shots that I get with my permanent box blinds.
I setup like yours is much more mobile. If you don't like the setup, you can move it. I can't practically do that with my permanent blinds. So, I generally start with a popup blind on the ground. You can't put one up and immediately hunt it for turkey with no problem. Deer, on the other hand, take time to acclimate to a blind, so I leave mine in place 24/7/365. I found they don't weather well when used this way. They only last a few years. Once I've confirmed that I like the location, I build my permanent box blinds.
So, you will probably have to compromise between deer acclimation and blind weathering. If you are only rifle hunting it with shots generally beyond 50 yards, deer acclimation may be less of an issue. If you plan to hunt with a bow, crossbow, or traditional muzzleloader, it will come into play.
What you have is clearly a workable solution depending on your situation.
Yes, there is clearly a cost factor for DIY. I was able to build them myself for less than any of the commercial elevated ones, but they are not inexpensive. COVID supply chain issues did drive up cost and I haven't built any since. I started building them to take kids out and for one of our older members that had knee replacements and had a very hard time with treestands. As I've gotten older myself, I realize how thy will extend the number of years I can hunt. My early blinds were mostly 6'x8' so I'd have room for a kid. The last few were one-man and 6x6 which reduced cost. Many have stairs which are expensive. The one in the picture has a "sladder". Kind of a combination between stairs and a ladder. It is permanently attached but at enough angle that I can uses it much easier than a ladder but it is much less expensive than stairs.
Yes, they are expensive if you have hills. You can probably buy one fairly inexpensive if you don't have hills. In my case, we have some fairly steep logging roads in rolling country. If you do have hills, be sure to test drive one. That can be hard to do. Most are sold on-line. I was lucky. I went to an e-bike demo-day in Cville. There is a kind of user group for ebikes there. The club all brought their personal e-bikes to a local park and let attendees test drive them.
I think you are right. If you don't have hills, a rear hub motor would work well without the risk of a derailluer. If I ride through a field, I do get some weeds caught in it. I never shift. I just keep it in the lowest gear, I can it up to 13 mph on the level in low and maybe faster. That is plenty fast for me so I haven't pushed it. I only go that fast on the return trip if I'm trying to outrun rain or something. Normally, I just creep along.
I have used both types. I find the foam to be softer and therefore quieter when it’s cold out.
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When my old ATV was having issues and was unreliable for a period, I needed something new. I took a real hard look at electric UTVs. I'm pretty familiar with lead-acid technology and knew I did not want to go that route. LI was just starting to provide performance on par with combustion engines, but the cost was just to high for me.
